Lodi/Woodbridge

Increasing numbers of creative winemakers are contributing to the growing quality of the wines being produced from this region. Together with growers who have recognized and implemented practices which are contributing to greater quality in the grapes themselves, the winemakers are now armed with a competive raw product to express their craft and personal interpretation.

with the growing recognition from the wine cognizenti, Lodi's increasing numbers of smaller wineries is attracting wine tourists. These wine tourists are finding good wines, interesting wine personalities, some great entertainment and none of the crowds or congestion that accompany a similar experience in the Napa or Sonoma regions.

What we are lacking is the support infrastructure to pull this whole opportunity together. We need to be able to offer those wine toursists a better meal than a fast food joint. We need to have more options than than the few good dining choices we have today. We need to be able to offer a better altnernative than standard roadside motels and we need to have adequate facilities to offer the consumer choice.

We have a great opportunity to offer a competing experience to the Napa and Sonoma fare to the growing numbers of consumers who are interested in the wine lifestyle. Moreover, we have an opportunity to offer an alternative at a different price point in the market and offer a better value to these increasingly interested consumers who just can't afford an Napa experience or are not interested in fighting the crowds.

We need to encourage our business development people in the region to create the support infrastructure for a potentially great wine experience here in the Lodi-Woodbridge area.

the growers are doing their share, the winemakers are doing theirs, the wineries are becoming interesting and varied enough to create an overall destination, now we need the support infrastructure.

Wine Grape concentrate:

Critical element to improving the health of the wine grape industry and the raisin industry.
After several years of being unable to compete, grape prices have fallen and supplies have increased allowing the industry to attempt to establish a new foothold.

A healthy secondary market like this can really help the struggling wine grape producers.